Mark Cuban Mentors Rising Beauty Company — 100% Pure Continues Path to Success Following Beauty Pitch Win. Beauty Pitch, which took place in July during the Professional Beauty Association’s (PBA) Beauty Week and hosted by Cosmoprof North America (CPNA), featured the ultimate brand presentation for every beauty entrepreneur. The event gave five industry finalists the opportunity to pitch their product in front of an expert panel of renowned businessmen and entrepreneurs including American Businessman, Mark Cuban, and CEO and Co-Founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, John Paul DeJoria. In the end, 100% Pure, an organic, cruelty-free cosmetics and bath and body products line, took home the coveted grand prize- a one-year mentorship with Mark Cuban. read more>

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats — How Recent Violations found in NYC Nail Salons Can Affect Our Entire Industry With the recent, high-profile crack-down on New York City nail salons found to be in violation of employment and health/safety laws, a wave of proposed regulations throughout the other 49 states will surely follow in its wake. Some of those proposed policy reforms will be necessary and positive, but there’s no guarantee they will all accrue to the safety of salon patrons and the economic advantage of professionally operated salons. It will be imperative for salon owners and individual stylists to monitor this subject and get involved in such reform efforts within their State Capitols and Boards of Cosmetology. read more>

How to Eliminate Salon/Spa Owner Stress — There are many reasons entrepreneurs decide to set out on their own and start their own companies. Some of them are driven by a vision to build something special and create their own destinies. They also do it to create growth opportunities for themselves and for those that choose to follow them and believe their vision. Of course they do it for a financial reward and return on investment. They are willing to assume financial risks in the form of debt and obligations that require a signature to personally guarantee that, no matter what, all will be paid in full. .read more><

What Is Your Salon’s Niche? — This month’s issue of The Stylist focuses on the men’s market. That’s a hot category both in the increase in the number of salons, barbershops and grooming lounges that have opened to serve men and boys of all ages and styles, as well as in the number of hair and grooming product lines developed specifically for men. Chains for men range from Sport Clips with 1,300 locations across the United States and Canada to Pro-Cuts, 18/8 Fine Men’s Salons, Cowboy Up Men’s Salons, V’s Barbershops, Floyd’s 99 Barbershops to The Grooming Lounge and Joe Grooming on the East Coast and many more. Plus, there are thousands of independent men’s salons and barbershops and private men’s grooming lounges and clubs across the United States. read more>

What Lies Ahead for the Changing Manscape — As I wander our industry’s blue highways what we see and experience in beauty trends is mostly from the feminine perspective. Although it’s not always out in the forefront, the male market is an important part of the overall beauty industry landscape. It is sometimes deemed an altogether different world within the total fashion perspective. While the basic components that influence trends are the same both in men and women’s fashion. For example: age, popular culture, politic landscape, and economics. How that is played out is as different as the difference between men and woman. At the very core the driving factor for women is that the culture is driven by beautification; driving factor behind men is more along the lines of grooming. read more>

Hairstylists Unite! Stop the Bashing of Fellow Stylists — The internet and social media give everyone their opportunity at the mic. People can hide behind their fake usernames and pretend they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof. The truth is the people that have enough time on their hands to bash others are insecure and probably extremely unhappy in their own lives. It’s sad really. I have been working on a new haircolor technique for the past few months and I finally felt comfortable enough to put it out into the universe. read more>

Take Control of Your Life – Hire a Team — As beauty professionals we love our work. We are so lucky to be able to go to work every day and do the things we love whether it is a fabulous facial, terrific makeup, gorgeous hair, stunning nails. But there never seems enough time to get all the other, less fun stuff done. You know what I mean by other, the bookkeeping, bill paying, product ordering, dealing with telemarketers, to say nothing of trying to promote our business so we can grow. I remember deciding I needed a website and then the nightmare (almost as bad as the one from Elm Street) began. I was lucky to have a son who knew how to build websites and he knew a little about the beauty industry. He could make me a site and put words on the pages. .read more>

Man Up! Color Men Happy in Your Salon – The biggest opportunity for salons right now is in men’s haircolor. Men are embracing the idea of color services more than ever. They just don’t want anyone to know about it yet. For this reason, men often won’t bring up haircolor in public, and neither will stylists. Adding to this missed opportunity is the industry-wide fear that male clients will be offended if we offer them haircolor. This is nonsense. The truth is, in today’s workforce, men in their 30s and up are trying to compete with men in their 20s. Many men just want to look five or 10 years younger so they feel more confident; they’re just not sure how to get there. read more>

Tapping Into the Menaissance — If you haven't noticed the Menaissance shaking up the hair industry, please send me the address of the rock you've been hiding under so we can send food, water, and Wi-Fi. Seriously, look around — it is as though men have rediscovered mirrors and they're finally seeing their hair as more than just a nuisance to be tamed. Dapper gentlemen, at least in appearance, are everywhere.. read more>

Stay Motivated and Find Meaning in Your Career – As we move into the fall and winter it becomes harder and harder to stay motivated. Internally our bodies are telling us: HIBERNATE. We wake up in the dark, we go to bed in the dark; historically fall/winter is a time when most people find themselves slipping into some level of depression. It seems odd the holidays and winter months would be such a source of distress for us since most people associate the holidays with times of joy and excitement. read more>

Work with Imperfections to Balance Men’s Haircuts — By Greg Zorian, Barber — As barbers we all strive for that flawless fade or the well balanced low taper with length on the top. There are all types of photos available on Instagram and Facebook depicting these perfect haircuts and styles that we all strive to create. Unfortunately, not everyone has that perfect-shaped head which can make these haircuts and styles extremely challenging. In fact, most men have at least one scalp or head shape imperfection that you will have to deal with. Here is a list of the most common imperfections and how to work around them to give a haircut to be proud of and worthy of showing off. read more>